Much of northern and northeast south dakota is about to go through the most severe cold wave in several years. Wind chill indicies are already below zero in parts of the north. Travis Tarver with the National Weather Service in Aberdeen says conditions will only deteriorate further.
Tarver warns, "We actually have a stronger surge of Arctic Air that's gonna move into the region tonight. And it'll kick up the winds a little bit, and by Thursday morning, that's when it looks like we're gonna be in the heart of this cold air.
Thursday morning, we'll be waking up to temperatures in the teens below zero over much of northern and northeast South Dakota--and combine those temperatures with some pretty breezy northwest winds, and we'll likely see wind chill values 30 to 40 below zero. Some locations could get as cold as 45 below zero for wind chill."
Tarver says highs in the northeast aren't expected to get to zero Thursday. He says a gradual warming should reach the Northern Plains this weekend.